Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GNU nano VS JOE

Compare GNU nano VS JOE and see what are their differences

GNU nano logo GNU nano

GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor.

JOE logo JOE

JOE is a full featured terminal-based screen editor which is distributed under the GNU General...
  • GNU nano Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20
  • JOE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-10-01

GNU nano features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    GNU nano is designed to be easy for beginners to use, with on-screen prompts and an intuitive layout.
  • Lightweight
    It is a lightweight text editor that runs efficiently on most systems, consuming minimal system resources.
  • Pre-installed on Many Systems
    GNU nano often comes pre-installed on many UNIX-like systems including many distributions of Linux, making it readily available.
  • Basic Yet Sufficient Features
    While it does not have the extensive features of some other editors, it includes enough functionality for basic editing tasks such as search/replace and spell checking.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts Displayed
    The bottom two lines of the screen display important keyboard shortcuts, which makes it easier for users to find commands.

Possible disadvantages of GNU nano

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to other editors like Vim or Emacs, GNU nano provides fewer advanced features and customization options.
  • Not Ideal for Large Projects
    For large codebases or projects, it may not be as efficient or productive compared to more feature-rich editors.
  • Basic UI
    The User Interface is very basic and text-based, which might not appeal to users looking for a more modern or graphical interface.
  • Limited Extensibility
    There are limited options for extending or adding plugins to GNU nano, unlike editors such as Emacs or VSCode.
  • Less Efficient for Power Users
    Power users who are proficient in editors with advanced functionalities (like Vim's powerful text manipulation commands) may find nano less efficient for their workflows.

JOE features and specs

  • Lightweight
    JOE is a lightweight text editor that doesn't consume much system resources, making it ideal for use on older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The interface of JOE is relatively simple and familiar to users of classic text editors, which makes it easy to navigate without a steep learning curve.
  • Highly Configurable
    JOE offers extensive configuration options, allowing users to customize the editor according to their preferences and needs.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
    The editor supports numerous keyboard shortcuts that help streamline tasks and enhance productivity for experienced users.
  • Support for Multiple File Types
    JOE can handle a variety of file types, making it versatile for different types of projects and use cases.

Possible disadvantages of JOE

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to more modern editors, JOE lacks some of the advanced features and integrations that power users might expect, such as built-in code linting or version control system integration.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Non-Traditional Users
    Users who are not familiar with command-line interfaces or text editors that rely heavily on keyboard shortcuts might find JOE difficult to learn and use effectively.
  • Less Community Support
    JOE does not have as large a user community as some other text editors, which means less community-driven plugins and extensions, as well as fewer resources for troubleshooting.
  • No Graphical User Interface
    As a terminal-based text editor, JOE does not offer a graphical user interface, which may not appeal to those who prefer more visually-oriented text editors.

GNU nano videos

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JOE videos

Joe - Movie Review

More videos:

  • Review - Joe Movie Review (Schmoes Know)
  • Review - Barstool Pizza Review - Joe & Pat's Pizzeria

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU nano and JOE)
Text Editors
65 65%
35% 35
IDE
62 62%
38% 38
Software Development
66 66%
34% 34
IDEs And Text Editors
67 67%
33% 33

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, JOE seems to be a lot more popular than GNU nano. While we know about 17 links to JOE, we've tracked only 1 mention of GNU nano. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU nano mentions (1)

  • Inspired by a meme made by u/Craz_64
    GNU nano is a text editor for Unix-like computing systems or operating environments using a command line interface. It emulates the Pico text editor, part of the Pine email client, and also provides additional functionality. Unlike Pico, nano is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Source: almost 4 years ago

JOE mentions (17)

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot launch was a total disaster
    Allow me to introduce you to WordStar, in the "modern" context of Joe's Own Editor. https://gizmodo.com/sci-fi-writer-releases-free-archive-of-legendary-word-processor-used-by-george-rr-martin-2000484618 https://joe-editor.sourceforge.io/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe%27s_Own_Editor. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • WordStar – A Writer's Word Processor (1990)
    The Joe editor has "jstar" where if you invoke the editor as this command it loads the Wordstar keymapping and looks/operates with the WordStar keybindings and screen interface. https://joe-editor.sourceforge.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Ask HN: Interesting TUIs (text user interfaces), maybe forgotten ones?
    > Unlike emacs or vim or even nano, it didn't have a bunch of invisible shortcut keys, just a Windows-like drop-down menu system (but rendered in DOS). You might like "joe", which was inspired by WordStar: . - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • WordStar: Arrogant, Difficult, Powerful (2022)
    I actually have a bound set for WordStar 4. If you want to use something similar on modern systems, try "Joe's Own Editor." https://joe-editor.sourceforge.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Micro – A Modern Alternative to Nano
    JOE is pretty nice https://joe-editor.sourceforge.io/ — a hybrid of WordStar and Emacs, and if you run it with `jstar` you get a pretty authentic WordStar experience which also reminds of the earliest Borland Turbo IDEs. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU nano and JOE, you can also consider the following products

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Micro - Modern terminal-based text editor

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Ox editor - An independent Rust text editor that runs in your terminal.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing